Intel i7 12700K - a few percent slower than i9

Intel i7 12700K like all 12th generation processors runs on the LGA 1700 socket. Each generation of i7 processors attracts a lot of attention, so it is with the new model. It differs significantly from its predecessors. It also used hybrid performance-cores and efficient-cores technology and was made in a 10 nm manufacturing process. The i7 12700K processor has a total of 12, of which eight are high-performance cores and four are energy efficient. The number of threads is twenty. The latest i7 has a clock speed of 2.7 GHz for energy efficiency and 3.6 GHz for performance cores. The maximum turbo boost is 3.6 GHz for efficient cores and 5.0 GHz for performance cores. There is also 25 MB of Intel Smart Cache cache and 12 MB of L2 cache. The processor in standard mode consumes 125W while the maximum power consumption is 190W.

When it comes to RAM, the processor supports up to 128 GB of RAM. The maximum speeds that the new i7 can use are 3200 MT / s for DDR4 and 4800 MT / s for DDR5. In addition to DDR5 memory, the new generation of Intel also supports PCIe 5.0, which is certainly great news.

The graphics part will provide quite enough for standard computer use, not for gaming in more demanding titles. It is an integrated Intel UHD 770 Graphics with a clock speed of 300 MHz and a boost of up to 1.5 GHz. The maximum supported resolution is 4096x2160 with 60 Hz via HDMI and 7680x4320 with 60Hz via the display port. If you plan to use the new i7 for gaming, the following is a video showing the results of the 12700K processor and RTX 3070 graphics card in 2K resolution in some of the newer titles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqgJSm46ZLM

Among the advanced technologies, the i7 12700K has Intel Thread Director, Intel Turbo Boost, Intel Turbo Boost Max technologies, Hyper-Threading, and others that allow it to cope with all the tasks that set before it.

To take full advantage of the i7 12700K you will need some of the quality motherboards from the 690 series. The best in terms of performance is the Asus ROG Maximus Z690 Hero. This board is recommended for those who want to "drain" the capabilities of this processor and overclock it to maximum capacity. The so-called sweet spot for the i7 12700K is the Asus ROG Strix Z690-F Gaming motherboard. Its price starts at around $ 400, which is close to the price of the processor itself. When it comes to the best budget motherboard that will allow normal work with this processor, the choice is MSI PRO Z690-A. These three motherboards have already been mentioned in the i5 12600K analysis. If you want a smaller format case and ITX board, the best choice is the Asus ROG Strix Z690-I Gaming WiFI. The board has PCIe 5.0, DDR5 RAM, 2.5 Gb LAN, and everything you need to get the most out of your processor.

Many may be wondering if they need a new i9 in addition to a very powerful i7 processor. The answer is not easy to give. It depends solely on the purpose of the processor, or what you plan to use your computer for. The new i9 12900K has 16 cores (8 + 8) and 24 threads, so more than the i7, which speaks for itself. For serious work, the i9 is undoubtedly a better choice. In the most difficult tasks, it proved to be about 10-11% better than the i7. However, when it comes to gaming, the difference is only 2% in favor of i9. If you plan to use the computer only for gaming, the i5 12600K is quite reasonable and a good choice, which is significantly cheaper than the two mentioned processors.

We also came to the question of the price of the CPU itself. The price of the new Intel i7 12700K processor starts at around $ 420 (currently on sale), while the i9 12900K costs around $ 620. So $ 200 in price is definitely a parameter to consider. If you want to go even cheaper, there is always a processor marked "F", ie without an integrated graphics card. Intel i7 12700KF can be found for around $ 395. When buying this processor, you need to keep in mind that you also need a discrete graphics card. 

The temperatures achieved in the Blender in combination with some of the standard premium air coolers also speak in favor of the i7. Blender has been used as a real application that aims to conjure up use in real life. While using the Noctua NH-U14S temperature i7 12700K remained at an excellent 64 degrees Celsius. The "older" brother, ie the i9 12900K, reached a temperature of 92 degrees. Interestingly, the overclocked i7 12700K with a clock speed of 5 GHz stopped at a temperature of 95 degrees Celsius, which is certainly high, but still within the temperature at which this processor can run (max 100 degrees). Of course, with a better and more expensive cooling system (read water cooling), these temperatures would be lower. On Amazon, this cooler can be found for only $ 79.95.

A comparison of the i7 12700K and one of the AMD Ryzen processors will be missing this time, at least some detailed analysis. The reason for this lies in the fact that a new generation of Ryzen processors, which will certainly be the answer to Adler Easy is yet to come. The Ryzen 5950X as AMD's current flagship is still an older processor. If you are still interested in the differences in the results that these two processors achieve, you can watch them in the video below this text. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_8XGzIci3E